Advisors

Malin BurnhamChairmanMr. Burnham is vice chairman of Cushman Wakefield Real Estate and Trustee of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. For more than 50 years, he has been a leader in real estate and community developments in San Diego, and is presently involved in the San Diego Hall of Champions, UCSD Foundation, Rady School of Management, San Diego Economic Development Corporation and many others. A former partner/owner of the San Diego Padres, he has been an active board member of 16 major corporations, and he has chaired nine major non-profits and co-founded 14 organizations. Mr. Burnham earned his BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.

Eugenio ElorduyMr. Elorduy is the former Governor of Baja California and a lifetime national board member of the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), or National Action Party. He began his political career as Secretary of Finance in the first PAN state government in Mexico, followed by Mayor of Mexicali. Mr. Elorduy is a founding member of Mexicaliʼs Economic Development Council, former National President of the Ford Dealers Association and past President of Mexicaliʼs Employers Association. He is currently a board member of CETYS University of Baja California, and he serves on the task force for “Rethinking the Mexico-U.S. Border,” by the Pacific Council on International Policy. Mr. Elorduy graduated with honors from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech) in Business Administration.

Ed GuilesMr. Guiles was chairman of the San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Company (Sempra Energy). During his tenure with SDG&E he served in engineering, power plant management, natural gas operations, customer service and business planning. He is currently a director of the California Water Service Group, and the Cubic Corporation. Most recently, he was tapped to serve on the task force for “Rethinking the Mexico-U.S. Border,” by the Pacific Council on International Policy. Mr. Guiles earned his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Arizona, and is a graduate of USC Executive Program and Edison Electric Institute.

Jodi SheltonMs. Shelton is President and CEO of Shelton Group, one of the nation’s most prestigious integrated communications agencies, and is the co-founder and president of Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA). Under her leadership GSA has grown its membership to include companies throughout the supply chain representing 25 countries, and has continuously addressed global issues in the industry on behalf of its members. Ms. Shelton is a frequent speaker at financial and industry events and has authored numerous articles for industry and business publications. She earned a Bachelors in Political Science from San Diego State and a Masters in Political Science from the University of Houston.

Fernando MaizMr. Maiz is CEO of Maiz Transforma, a design/build construction firm that specializes in utility scale power plants, water treatment plants and roadways. The company also builds high-rise commercial buildings and all types of manufacturing plants, including those with clean rooms and facilities for process driven manufacturing. Mr. Maiz serves as a national advisor for The Mexican Chamber of Construction. He has also served as President of Sustainable Agenda in Garza Garcia, Monterrey Mexico and EcoSync, the first companies in Monterrey, Mexico to raise awareness of environmental concerns. Mr. Maiz earned his MBA from IPADE Institute.

John McNeeceMr. McNeece is of Counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, focusing on renewable energy and international business transactions. His work includes joint ventures, complex financial transactions, project development, real estate development and venture capital. In addition, he represents Spanish-speaking clients in their native language on U.S. business and real estate transactions. Mr. McNeece has been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America”™ by Corporate Law. Mr. McNeece received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, and his B.A. from Stanford University.

Sam LeeCTO of Baja Sun EnergyMr. Leeʼs entrepreneurial experience includes leadership at three semiconductor startups, where he significantly increased sales, improved margins and positioned them for successful exits. He was previously president of Raytheon’s Semiconductor Division (later acquired by Fairchild Semiconductor), and prior to that he held several leading senior executive positions from design to manufacturing at AMCC, Motorola and NCR. Mr. Lee holds three patents, has published seven technical papers, and is a Senior IEEE member and past Chairman of the Phoenix section, wave and device chapter. He received a BS in Electrophysics from National Chiao Tong University in Taiwan, and an MS and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University.